Due to massive environmental degradation, Madagascar's species are some of the most threatened on the planet. Since the arrival of man less than 2000 years ago, Madagascar has lost more than 16 species of lemur including one the size of a gorilla, a pygmy hippo, the largest land bird to ever walk the planet, and giant tortoises. The IUCN Redlist currently includes 472 entries for Malagasy species at risk of going extinct, though it is likely that this is a significant undercount

Today Madagascar is arguably the highest conservation priority in the world and its protected areas system in one of the more advanced in sub-Saharan Africa. Some of the protected areas in Madagascar: